Focusing flash light



J. GRAVES FOCUSING FLASH LIGHT March 18 1924.

Filed April 24. 1922 funn t zen of the United vget out of order.v

Patent Mar. l, i924.l

naar

JOEE' GRAVES, 0F MADISON, VVISC'NSEN, ASSIGNDB TO COMIPANY, 0F MEDISCH,

FRENCH BATTERY & CARBON WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION 0F WISCONSIN.

rocusmesrr. LIGHT. i"

application filed .April 2i, 1922. Serial No. 556,178.

To all whom t mag/concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GRAVES, a citi- Son, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsimliave invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Focusing Flash Lights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hand flashlight lights of the type now commonly carried by travelers, automobiliste, and others and also in the home where regular lights are momentarily or otherwise unavailable to throw a light into dark places. The trouble with commercial devices of this kind is that they do not focus the light, and they are therefore, not nearl as eiicient and satisfactory as they'shculd e. The object of this invention is to provide a device of this kind in which the operator can at` will, change the relationship of the electric light bulb with reference to the reflector which is always present adjacent to it, and thereby obtain a satisfactory adjustment or focusing of the lamp with reference to the reflector.

l e invention consists in mechanism for attaining the foregoing objects which can be easily and cheaply made, which are satisfactory inuse and are not readily liable to More particularly the in- .veiition resides inV a novel mechanism by v which the reector may be reciprocated longitudinally ci the axis of the amp to produce the desiredresult-7 and in other features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the speel iication and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which likel numerals denote like parts eral views, I l

Fi re 1 is a sectional detail view thru a comp ete device of the type describeda haying the mechanism of this invention in its preferred forni applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the reector and an attached frame removed from the remainder of the device.

Figure 3 is a erspective view ci an electric conductor or the outer terminal of the lamp.

Figure i is a perspective view oi an electric conductor for t ecentral terminal' oi the lamp. l

Figure 5 is a bottom sectional view taken on approtely the line wlj, Figurel..A

States, residing atMadithruout the sev- Figure 6 is a plan view taken proximately the line 6-6, Fi re 1.

he conventional form of ash light case shown in the drawings includes a tubular case member l0, continued at its upper end in a cup 12having inside its top an annular insulating band 14 on which the lens 16 rests, being secured in place by means of the conventional screw threads 18. The bottom of this case 10is closed by a cap- 20 ad justable longitudinally on screw threads 22 in a conventional manner.I In one side of the case is a conventional form of switch housing 24 having a reciprocable switch 26 adapted to slide the length of a slot 28 into contact with an electric conductor 30, hereafter more fully described. in detail, separated from the case member 10 by conventional insulating material 32 inside the case.

An insulating plate 34more or less permanently but positively 'secured across an upper end of the tubular member 10 is notched at one side to allow for the passage of the member 30 up from the switch mechanism 26 and over the top of the plate 34 tothe center of the plate where it is pro.- vided with contacting mechanism, in the particular case here illustrated, a screw thread tube 36 adapted toreceive the outer terminal 38 of the electric `laiiip 40, the lamp and member 36 passing thru a suitable central perforationformed for them in theplate 34 which is also to receive and allow a plurality concentric with the lamp and connected together' at .their bottoms by a plate 44 and su porting at their upper ends a reflector e6 which envelope the lamp 40. The upger circumference 48 of the reector is .a

suitably perforated for the reciprocation of of suc diameter that it can reciprocate vertically inside of the insulating ring le without under or inaryv circumstance touching it, biit will he insulated by said ring should accidental contact occur.

on apv of vertically disposed posts 42.

Permanently secured to the underside of plate 34 as for instance by suitable screws thru holes 55 is an electric conductin member 52 preferabl of sprin material avi'ng a free end 5t a apted to a ways contact the central lamp terminal '56. l 0 Below the memberV 52, always contacting it, and inside the posts 2 and above the plate Maand always contacting it, is a com.

pression spring 58 tending to normally' push the plate 44 downward away from stationary plate 34 and therefore hold the reflector 46 1n its lowest possible positionl with reference to the lamp 40.

Inside the case below plate 44 is a con.

flector 46 into practical if not actual contactl with the upper surface of insulating plate or block 34. As soon as the operator puts battery cell 60 in the case 10, applies the cap and begins to screw it upward on screw` threads 22,'the |batteries will necessarily force plate 44 and attached parts gradually upward, thus -moving the reflector 46 upward with reference to the `lamp toward kze the lens 16. Allthe' operator has to do to change this adjustment when and as he desires, in theuse ofthe lamp, ,is to manipulate the screw ap 20 on screwv threads 22 to force the re ector upward or to rotate the cap the other way to allow the spring 58 to move'the reflector downward.

The electric circuit thru the lamp is maintained under all positions of adjustment in the following manner 'Assuming that the current starts from battery 62, it lmoves upward thru plate 44, spring 58; conductor 5254 to the center of the lamp 40, thence thru the outer terminal of the lamp via member 30 which is insulated from the rest of the case into switch housing 24 whereby on moving switch 26 upward in contact with member 30 the current passes to member 26, thence to the case 10, thence to the cap 20 and up supports 66 to the lower battery terminal. In other words the operator can by closing switch 26 maintain the lamp 40 in a lighted condition while adjusting the focus by rotating ca 20 on screw threads 22 as may be required for this purpose.

The mechanism for reciprocating the reflector, thereby focusing the lamp, is by no means lin'lited to an all metal case flashhght. Such acase is merely one type of device to which the broad invention may be applied.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l l. In a flashlight, the combination of, an incandescent lamp, a battery, for providing current to light' said lamp, positioned for reciprocation toward and from the lamp, a spring cushioned reflector reciprocable with the. battery with reference to the lamp.,

manually' controllable means for moving the vother direction, an electric lamp in battery toward and from the lamp, and means maintaining electric current from the battery thru the lamp in all positions of adjustment of the battery and reflector.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a case terminating in a lens, an electric lamp mounted in the case'behind the lens, a re- Hector about the lamp and inside the case, means mounting the reflector for reciprocation to and from the lamp, an electric bat tery in the case, means for conducting current from said battery thru the lamp, in all positions of movement of the reflector, and means engaeable at the rear end ot the case, operating t rougli the battery for moving the reflector wit reference to the lamp as desired by an operator outside the-case.

3. In a device of the class described, a case, a battery inside the case, means for reciprocating the battery in one direction, spring mechanism moving the battery in the other direction, an electric lamp in the case,

means conveymg current from thel battery thru the lamp and back to the battery, under all conditions of movement of the battery, and a lamp focusing reflector selectively reciproeable by reciprocating the battery.

4. In a device of the class described, a case, a battery inside the case, means for reciprocating the battery in one direction, spring mechanism moving the battery in the t e case, means conveying current from the battery thru the lamp and back to the batter under all conditions of movement of the vbattery,

and switch mechanism operable from cut i side the case controlling the assage of current from the battery thru t e lamp, and a lam focusing reflector selectively reciprocab e by reciprocating the battery.

5. In a device of the class described, a case, a battery inside the case, means for reciprocating the battery in one direction,

spring mechanism moving the battery in the other direction, an electric lamp in the case, means conveying current from the battery thru the lamp and back to the battery under all conditions of movement of the battery, and a reflector mechanism inf-idc the case cushioned by the spring mechanism controlling the battery reciprocable in unison with the battery.

6. In a device of the class described, a case, a battery inside the case, means for, reciprocating the batteryl in one direction, spring mechanism moving the battery in the other direction, an electric lamp in the case, means conveying current from the battery thru the lamp and back to the battery,

under allconditions of movement of the terminals of an electric metallic case,

the battery reciprocable in unison with the battery.

7. In mechanism of the class described, in combination with a case, an insulating plate across the case, 'perforated to receive the lamp passing thru it and suitably perforated to receive posts outside of but concentric with the lamp adapted to reciprocate thru the plate, a reector on one end of said posts, a conducting plate on the other end y electric conductor for the centralterminal of the lam on the side of said insulating plate which) is adjacent to the conducting plate, a spring betweenv said conducting plate and said electric conductor, and an electric conductor on the other side of the insulating plate engaging the outer terminal of the-lamp, for the urposes set forth.

8. In mechanism o? the class described, a an insulated plate across the ymember on the second of said posts, Vand an case perforated in its center to receive an electric lamp, an electric conductor adapted for connection on one side of the plate to the outer terminal of an' electric lamp inserted in said erforation, and leading from said side of t e' plate to the opposite side of said plate and thence in insu ated relation with the case to a switch vcontrollable from outside the case, another conductor side of the plate adapted for engagement With the central terminal of the saine lamp thru the plate, a spring in engagement with the last conductor, batteries in electrical contact with said spring, and means for electrically connecting the to the case and foradjusting the battery in the case against action of said spring.

' In Witness whereof, I havehereunto subscribed my name. e

JUHN GRAVES.

opposite terminal of the battery I 

